As per the HC order, the decisions of the chief minister and his council of ministers is binding on secretaries and other government officials.

Recently, the problem between the two escalated after Narayanasamy began a six-day agitation against Bedi’s “autocratic” behaviour.

In a major setback for Kiran Bedi, the Madras High Court on Tuesday ruled that the Puducherry Lieutenant Governor has no right to interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the city government. Bedi has been engaged in a tug war for power with Chief Minister V Narayansamy since joining the office in May 2016.

As per the HC order, the decisions of the chief minister and his council of ministers is binding on secretaries and other government officials. The fresh order has come following a writ petition filed by Puducherry Congress MLA Lakshminarayanan in 2017, in which he questioned the L-G’s powers to interfere in administrative works even during the presence of council of ministers. Both Kiran Bedi and Narayansamy are yet to repond to the order.

Since 2016, the two sides have been at loggerheads on a number of issues. The CM has often claimed that the L-G was interfering in the functioning of the government and stalled development in the state with several proposals pending with her office’.

Recently, the problem between the two escalated after Narayanasamy began a six-day agitation against Bedi’s “autocratic” behaviour. He was also joined by his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who had raised the same issues against the L-G in the national capital.

The latest reason for the escalation was Bedi’s decision to make helmets compulsory for two-wheeler riders in Puducherry. While Bedi wanted the rule to be implemented at one go for two-wheeler riders, Narayanasamy was for the implementation of the rule in phases after promoting general awareness among the public.

A video had surfaced in February showing Bedi spreading awareness on Puducherry roads of Puducherry. She could be seen in the video, stopping a number of two-wheeler riders for not wearing a helmet and advising them to wear one. She can also be seen advising people with kids and those riding with two pillions to wear the same. The former IPS officer also makes people understand how avoiding helmet can be extremely dangerous. She also suggests two-wheeler riders why triple riding should be avoided.